Ronnie James Dio has been gone since 2010, but he lives on — thanks to the magic of hologram.
The Dio hologram, which debuted at the 2016 Wacken Festival in Germany, will be going on tour in Europe this fall, with nine dates already booked and plans to take the effect around the world, including the U.S. — where it played the PollStar Awards during January.
His widow and manager Wendy Dio said that, “Ronnie was always wanting to experiment with new stage ideas and was a big Disney fan. With this said, I am sure he is giving us his blessing with this hologram project. It gives the fans that saw Ronnie perform an opportunity to see him again and new fans that never got to see him a chance to see him for the first time.”
The hologram will be accompanied by Dio Discples, a tribute group that features ex-Dio members such as guitarist Craig Goldy and drummer Simon Wright. Full dates for the hologram tour will be announced soon.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.